I've succeeded in one of my goals - to finish my degree. It didn't work as I thought it would, but...it's done.
I'm also a week away from the other goal - the Toastmaster's Competent Communicator award!
I've come a long way with that!

I'm feeling very blue... counting up the jobs I haven't been hired for this summer, even one I had worked at before didn't call back!
It's hard not to take it all personally  "someone else was better, therefore I'm not good enough" "they don't want/need/love me!" etc.

I'll keep on slogging on in the job seach!

But it made me smile!
https://pol.moveon.org/donate/brainonhope.html?id=13345-7261513-Ts6OBfx&t=4

One of the things I need to learn to do is speak up when in front of a group. I tend to swallow words.
To that end, I joined Toastmasters. I gave my icebreaker speech today, to good reviews. Whew!
I'll keep going with it, as much as I can!

I'd like to expand my answer to 'the arts' - visual, music, and theater. The Arts are important because they are an expression of humanity. They simply are - not a byproduct of civilization but a mark of civilization.

I'm not suggesting putting up with abuse is in any way ok; I meant to illustrate that we stick with our friends when they are crazy-hurting and insane with grief.
All clear?

I know it's terribly geeky to cite a TV show for an illustration.
One episode of "Buffy" illustrates strength and courage very well. Willow is in a state of grief and rage over the loss of Tara, and she's tapped vast amounts of magical power.  She has a sense of the pain of many people and wants it to end, so she's channeling power to this evil statue in order to destroy the world.
Her best friend from childhood, Xander, who has no magical power of his own (and has pretty much been comic relief for six seasons) steps between her and the statue. He says he wants to be with her if it's the end of the world, because they've been friends forever, and "I love you, Willow"
She blasts him back into the statue.
"I love you, Willow"
She lashes out, and slashes his shirt and his skin - he's obviously in pain.
"I love you, Willow"
She knocks him aside with a whirlwind and continues to feed power to the evil statue.
He steps back in between and calmly says: "I love you, Willow"
She hurts him again. "I love you, Willow"
Finally she,  (and those of us watching?) breaks down in tears, and we see the changes the dark magic made fade away.
That, my friends, is power. (Buffy  the Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 22: Grave)

I know, it's a shallow illustration of the love Christ has for us - while we were His enemies, He died for us. When we turned against Him, he rescued us .  I re-read Romans 5 today. Heavy stuff!
Forgiveness, healing, and being called Brothers and Sisters and freedom are ours...
Why is it that people find Christianity so humdrum or exclusive.  (Our Savior  wants everyone to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth - 1 Tim 2:4) Not just a few lucky people... ALL! It seems odd to me that people who are raised in a Christian church seek wisdom and mystery in other religions. There's plenty in this one!

What about solitude? (paraphrased from a thought of the day)
I am comfortable with solitude (It's a good time to get practicing done! ) but I love being with my husband and daughter.  We enjoy each other, tease, play and enjoy each other.
If I felt the opposite? I think I'd be unhappy

What is love?
That's a question I've spent many hours contemplating.  I've come to a few conclusions so far: Love is action.  "This is my command to you, that you love one another" Jesus said.  Not "have warm fuzzy feelings about" one another, but "love". 
Love isn't a chemical attraction, a happy feeling, a bouquet of flowers, a tear of sympathy alone - all these things are parts of love.  Love is unselfish, but regards the self as part of the whole.  When I say "I love" there must be an "I" of value so the love is a gift worth giving.
"I love you because of how you make me feel" is weak and giving control of one's feelings to the other person - a bad idea, I believe.
Do I stop loving someone because s/he is crabby or tired or stressed from work? Of course not; that's when love is most needed.
Oh, and be sure to tell those special persons that you DO love them.  A dear friend's husband just suddenly died of something like a stroke, at a fairly young age!
POOF, just like that. No warning.
Tell them!

I've been looking for a summer job - put in some applications, talked to some people. Now I have to wait. I don't like waiting for someone to make this decision - if the person hiring isn't interested, why can't they say so? Conversely, if they want me to come work, then I can quit the process and not spend time doing more job searches and just go work. 
Is that terribly selfish?

I know I'm anachronistic, but Baroque music is the music that speaks most clearly to me.  I like the combination of predictability and surprise that so many great Baroque composers use.

In new music, I really enjoy Bear McCreary's soundtracks. 

If I could imagine a perfect TV series, it would be written by Joss Whedon and scored by  Bear McCreary!